Zonker Rabbit
Strip

I haven't been able to get out fishing much since late October, and
don't have any fresh fish pictures from my own camera. We always like to
start your week with a picture of a nice fish to remind you why you work
so hard, hopefully a picture to make your day more peasant. Low and
behold Ken Anderson must have known my plight because he emailed us
pictures of a couple of chromers he had just caught from one of the
local rivers. Life ain't so bad when you got fish like this in your
comnunity.

Tying
The Zonker FlyZonker Patterns
The Zonker as first tied by Dan Byford in the early 1970's is one of the
best fresh water bait fish patterns ever devised. It has changed through the
years with the improvements added by other tiers, as materials have been
become available or gone away. It is our understanding that the first Zonkers used a wooden match stick for filler under the
Mylar tubing to shape
the body. Then sticky-back lead tape folded over the hook and trimmed to
shape became the preferred material. Lead tape is now difficult to obtain in
the proper width. Aluminum sticky-back tape is available, but is so thin
that it takes several layers to provide a body that is structurally strong
enough to stand up to the rigors of assembling the fly and to take the abuse
of fishing. The proportion diagrams shown here are for the most popular Mylar tubing
widths.

Hook

A

B

C

Tape

Tubing

Type

Fur Strip

2

3/16"

5/16"

5/16"

1"

1/4" dia.

Flashabou

2"

2

3/16"

1/4"

1/4"

1"

3/16" dia

Mylar

2"

4

5/32"

3/16"

3/16"

7/8"

1/8" dia

Mylar

1 3/4"

6

1/8"

5/32"

1/8"

3/4"

1/8" dia

Mylar

1 1/2"

Flashabou Minnow Body in size medium is about 5/16" wide.
Medium Mylar tubing is 1/4" and small Mylar and Flashabou Minnow Body are
1/8".

To construct a Zonker body over sticky-back tape fold one
or several layers over the hook shank and and trim to the shape of a fish
belly.

Insert the body in a length of tubing and tie the ends
shut with thread molding the tubing into the shape of the body.

Ordinarily I would use white 6/0 Uni to tie off the ends
of the tubing. Black was used here to give better illustration of thread
placement. Also the thread at the front of the body was not fully
exploited as more bulk could have been canted to form the large over the
top of.

We used an epoxy technique like this back in the
mid-eighties. But instead of using wire, we used stiff mono to create
many fly body shapes by filling the frame with epoxy then placing the wet
body on a motorized turner until it hardened.

When thick sticky-back tape became unavailable, we worked
out a frame of lead wire, which was fastened to the hook with tying thread
and super glued in place.

The wire frame is filled with epoxy and then placed on a
turner to harden. Any kind of epoxy can be used from the five minute kind
to 8-hour epoxy used for rod finish. Figure on letting your body forms to
harden for at least eight hours before the Mylar tubing is added to them.

Add the Mylar tubing and then coat the body with a layer
of epoxy for dur ability and a high gloss finish.

Add a rabbit strip for the back of the fly. Attach it at
the rear of the body. Do not attach it to the front of the body until a
hackle is added.

Add a drop of Zap-A-Gap super glue to hold the thread
wraps in place.

Add a hackle to simulate fins, gill plates,etc.

Tie off the front of the rabbit strip and trim so that the
head can be formed with tying thread. Remember that a large head will
provide a foundation for painted eyes.

Turing the fly up side down will help with the addition of
more Zap-A-Gap to further secure the rear of the rabbit strip. becareful
not to get any glue in the fur.

The fly should look like this before the final coat of
epoxy is added to the head. This coat should be heavy enough to cover any
imperfections in the thread surface. Slow drying epoxy gives the best
finish as the slow drying time allows air bubbles to escape from the
liquid finish.

There are many shapes of baitfish, and the Zonker can be
custom tied to match most of them. Model airplane enamel is the easiest
paint to use for eyes unless another coat of epoxy is to be applied over
them. Wet epoxy tends to melt enamel finishes. Use Acrylic artist paint if
you intend to coat the eyes with epoxy.

Take a
drift boat ride down a Local River with: Mark
Bachmann,
Josh Linn and
Mike KinneyThe Fly Fishing Shop
has a long history of collaboration with the best Spey Casting
Instructors in the world.In the past we have sponsored very successful
schools with such elite instructors as
George Gook,
Simon Gawesworth,
Brian Silvey , Andy Murray and Dec Hogan. We sponsor the biggest
two-day Spey Casting School in the world...

the
Sandy River Spey Clave.
As such it has always been a goal of ours to offer
the widest array of finishing schools for the spey casting
aficionado. That is why we have teamed with Mike Kinney for a
couple of special schools aimed at taking you, the accomplished
angler to the next skill level. Mark, Mike and Josh are the kind of
guides that fish on their days off. They live for steelhead fly
fishing.
Mike Kinney is a special casting coach who has developed unique
teaching methods that will enhance your personal skills. Mike helped
develop the Temple Fork Outfitters' popular Deer Creek series of
Spey rods. There will be a couple of full sets available for students to try.
Mike and Mark
have been in pursuit of steelhead with two-hand rods about as long as
anyone in the game. Josh adds a youthful touch. Combined with our unique class room and
PowerPoint presentations, we believe that this class offers benefits
available nowhere else.
These classes will be a lot of fun and a
memorable experience for all involved.

Winter
Steelhead fly fishing is very practical if you know how. Being able
to find fish and being able to present the fly properly are key
factors. We have all heard from clients that catching fish comes
easy for guides. This is especially true of certain guides. They are
the kind of guides that fish on their days off. They are constantly
refining their skills. We are those kind of guides. We find that
this kind of guide also makes the best teacher. They just have more
to offer. In this class you will refine skills

in understanding steelhead water and how to approach
it. Emphasis will be on refining casting and fishing skills. We want
to give you maximum advantage by having as many fish hooked during
this class as possible. Nothing teaches you more about fishing than
being where fish are being hooked and landed. Emphasis will be on
spey rod use and sinking-tip line fishing. Students should have
solid rudimentary casting skills. This is a fishing class.

What you need to bring:
Bring your own waders and rain gear. Bring your own rod/reel set up
if you want to.
A variety of premium quality 2-hand rod/reel set-ups will be
available for you to use at no extra charge. Flies are supplied.
A hot lunch will be served on the river.
There will be a very short rest period after lunch.
Meet at The Fly Fishing Shop at 6:30am for half-hour
orientation. Coffee and donuts will be served.

Watch an expert
guide as he fishes and discloses the secrets and proven methods that
put fish on the beach. Get a lot of hands-on help so that you too
can be productive.
Arrive back at The Fly Fishing Shop at 6:00pm.First come, first served.
Deposits are payments in full.
Deposits are non-refundable unless water/weather conditions prohibit
class.
SEE CLASS POLICY

Deer Creek Spey Test Report
Last Monday I played extensively with a 13' 7/8 Dear Creek spey rod. It is a
very fast European action type rod. For its price, it is exceptionally
crisp, kind of like a downsized version of a Sage 8129-4 ZAXIS. It
rocks with both a 480-grain or a 510-grain Skagit Compact and 150-grain Rio
sink tip. I liked the 510 better. This outfit threw 4" flies as far as I
could control the shooting line...easy...wham bam. There are a number of
distinguishing features to the Deer creek Series of rods. After inspecting
the flawless deep maroon finish, tasteful appointments and banded cork work,
you will no doubt realize that the handle is unusually small in diameter. At
first it felt alien. It was only after experimenting and analyzing a variety
of casting strokes, that became apparent that to drive this vehicle you need
only finger tip control. This rod has an action that demands that the caster
conserves energy. If line speed is the measure of worth, this rod at
$339.95 it is a bargain!